There is a lot to be said on the subject of western saddles. Do you need a barrel racing saddle, a roping saddle, a pleasure saddle, a team penning saddle? There are as many different types of western saddle as there are western equine activities. Do you want a leather saddle, a synthetic saddle, or a leather/synthetic hybrid? Do you need semi-quarter horse bars or full quarter horse bars? However, most of these issues become moot points once you decide to purchase a saddle made specifically for your mule, because your options are far fewer.
There are several companies that manufacture western saddles using saddle trees with mule bars. American Saddlery saddles that have been modified with a girthing system specially designed for donkeys and mules can be purchased at the Donkey-Mule Info web site. These saddles are quite inexpensive, starting at $350 dollars.
Dakota Saddlery is a semi-custom saddle maker. You can order one of their saddles and specify a wide range of options, including having the saddle made on a mule tree. The list prices for basic mule saddles start at around $800. You can't deal directly with the manufacturer, but there are many dealers that sell Dakota saddles. A few are listed below in the Western Saddle Links section.
Steve Edwards, at Queen Valley Mule Ranch, sells two mule saddles, the Trail Rider, priced at $850, and the Packer, priced at $1195. This is what his web site says about the saddles "The QVMR Mule Saddle Tree is based on the pack saddle bars Steve Edwards developed and has been using in his pack saddles for the last 20 years. He has incorporated these bars into a saddle tree design that offers superior fit for the mule as well as comfort for the rider. The bars in this tree are flatter and have less twist so that they fit the contour of the mule's back. They are 2½" shorter than the horse bars used on a typical 15" saddle so there is no pressure on the mule's kidneys. They are also shaped to provide relief over the 3rd and 4th rib where mules typically carry a fat pocket."
The Colorado Saddlery Co. makes three saddles on mule trees and another that they say fits both mules and horses. The web site says "Our saddles were designed by a professional outfitter. The trees were designed to fit a wide variety of mule backs. The mule trees differ from horse trees in that they are flatter with a slight flair on the front and back." The Colorado Saddlery web site has a Links Page with links to the web sites of the many Colorado Saddlery dealers. The Running Horse Saddle Supply, one of these dealers, has a nice page describing the Colorado Saddlery trees, if, like me, you haven't a clue as to what an Association or Bowman tree is. These saddles are priced around $1000.
The Australian Stock Saddle Co sells The Shootist, a reproduction of a saddle popular in America from around l85O into the 2Oth century. The Shootist can be ordered with mule bars and the web site shows how the Shootist can be rigged "center-fire", in case your mule, like many, needs to have the girth moved farther back from the elbow. The Shootist sells for $795. Even if you don't think you want one of these saddles, I highly recommend ordering one of this company's catalogs. They are interesting and educational, with articles on saddle fitting and the history of saddles, plus they have some pretty cool reproduction saddles.
One of our members, Steve H., describes his Shootist saddle here.
Timber Ridge Saddlery is a semi-custom saddle maker. You can order a saddle with any of a variety of style options constructed on one of their basic tree designs (full quarter horse, semi-quarter horse, extra-wide, draft horse, and mule). They sometimes sell their saddles on ebay.
The Tack Shack advertises mule saddles in Mules and More magazine and says "If it doesn't work, ship it back." The saddles start at about $700.
The Cultured Cowboy web site has some good pages describing the different kinds of western saddles and how to fit a saddle to a rider. They sell Dakota mule saddles and the guy that answered the phone when I called to ask a few questions was very helpful.
Four saddle manufacturers, Circle Y, Tex Tan, Big Horn, and Reinsman, make western saddles on flexible trees, which is supposed to improve the fit. These flex tree saddles aren't made specifically for mules, but some people report that they work well for their mules. The flex tree saddles are somewhat lighter in weight than most western saddles made on traditional trees. J & L Tack Supply advertises Circle Y Flex Lite saddles for mules in Mules and More magazine. Golians Saddles and Tack carries the Tex Flex and are experienced with mules.
Tex Flex saddle, photo by Michelle Sweeten, 2004
shown on her mule
Comments from Western Saddle Users:
I use a Circle Y Flex Lite saddle on mule mule. It fits her great and it's really light weight.
My Colorado Saddlery mule saddle doesn't fit my mule as well as it fits one of my horses. The leather in the saddle is really nice, though.
I looked at a Dakota saddle. It seemed to be of quality construction, but the leather was heavy and stiff.
Our saddles are "Steve Edwards Signature Series Trail Saddles." The fit of these trees is very good on both of our mules as evidenced by the nice even sweat pattern on the mules' backs over the entire area of the bars of the tree. My husband and I do a considerable amount of day-long trail riding in mountainous terrain and our mules have not shown any signs of discomfort due to saddle fit since have been using these saddles!
No shortened stride or head bobbing when going down hill, no sore spots or galling on their backs, and no reluctance to being saddled. In addition, we find these saddles comfortable for the long hours we spend in the saddle and durable even with the heavy use we give them. As you can see by my enthusiasm, we REALLY like these saddles!
I have a Steve Edwards Trail Rider saddle. It fits my mule and is comfortable for me, as well. The only thing I don't like is the heavy weight. The quality of construction is good, but the quality of the leather is consistent with the relatively low price of the saddle. Buy the giant economy-size jug of Lexol, because you'll need it.
My saddle is a 15" flex tree Tex Flex saddle. It's only 25 lbs- a plus for me. The tack store I bought it from, Golians Saddles and Tack, custom made the crupper for me and added the crupper ring. They are GREAT people to deal with who know mules. I highly recommend them.
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WESTERN SADDLES
written by Vickie Tatum